Monday, April 11, 2016

Pope Francis' Statement, "Love in the Family"

Pope Francis recently issued a statement on "Love
in the Family" to the Roman Catholic Church.

The statement is long (264 pages), its rhetoric frustrating
difficult to follow, and, most importantly, does not represent a break with any
of the Roman Catholic Church's formal positions.

Instead, "Love in the Family" takes two
small, but perhaps significant, steps. First, "Love in the Family"
stresses the importance of the Roman Catholic Church offering a supportive
welcome to diverse person and families. Francis obviously recognizes that kindness
and mercy, far more often than rigid legalism, characterize Christ-like love.
Second, Francis advocates a limited decentralization of authority. Observing that
local situations can vary considerably amongst dioceses and parishes, he calls
for local leaders to develop policies and programs appropriate for promoting
love within the family.

Predictably, neither conservative nor liberal
elements within Roman Catholicism praised Francis' statement. Conservatives
voiced concern that the "Love in the Family" might lead to an
eventual weakening of Roman Catholic teachings on sexuality and marriage.
Liberals expressed disappointment that Francis had not changed any of the Roman
Catholic Church teachings that they find too narrow or exclusionary, e.g., not welcoming
the full inclusion of LGBT persons, not moving toward accepting same-sex
marriage, etc.

I appreciate the shift in tone, both in rhetoric
and pastoral practice, Francis hopes to implement in the Roman Catholic Church.
However, I agree with Francis' liberal critics: Francis needs to revise basic Roman
Catholic teachings about sexuality and the family. More fundamentally, improving
the tone of Roman Catholic rhetoric and pastoral praxis will not staunch the
flow of Roman Catholics from that Church. As is the case with other faith groups,
the Roman Catholic Church needs to grapple with the question of why anyone
should bother to be part of a Catholic Church (cf. my Ethical Musings post, Why
bother with church?).

On a more positive note, both steps have the
potential to launch forces that Rome may one day rue because it cannot control
them, forces that many people inside and outside the Roman Catholic Church will
applaud. Will welcoming diverse persons and families cause some of those
persons and families to become so integrated within some Roman Catholic dioceses
that their presence becomes a catalyst for more radical, far-reaching change?
Will the shift away from centralizing all power in Rome become an
uncontrollable cascade that leads to an eventual splintering of the Roman
Church?